9,000 Windows 8 Apps and Climbing at Microsoft's Windows Store

For Windows 8 to be any kind of success, Microsoft needs to flesh its Windows Store with a robust selection of apps, and it needs to do it quickly. That's exactly what's happening. On the Windows 8 launch day (October 26, 2012), the Windows Store contained a little over 9,000 apps, which doesn't come close to Apple's App Store or Google Play, but is a respectable launch number.

What's more important is how quickly the store is growing, and according to WinAppUpdate.com, hundreds of apps are being added each day so far.

"In each of the last two days, more than 500 apps have shown up daily – and again, quite a few of these have been high-quality apps from mainstream content providers around the world that can help lift the platform," WinAppUpdate noted.

Back in the middle of August, there were only 530 apps in the Windows Store, and then around 2,000 the month after. So while 9,000 apps might not sound uber impressive, the rate of growth certainly is. More good news for users is that the majority of apps remain free. The worldwide percentage of free apps in the Windows Store has been holding steady at between 87 percent and 89 percent, and 83 percent in the U.S. Windows Store.